Google's latest unconventional project, balloon-borne Wi-Fi service, is being tested in the skies above California's Central Valley. The Web giant said on Google+ that it has been conducting research flights over parts of its home state to fine tune what it called Project Loon. That project is an effort by Google to bring Internet access to parts of the world where the necessary infrastructure, such as cell towers, is lacking. Project Loon comes from the Google X lab, which is also responsible for self-driving cars and Google Glass eyewear.

Google is making it easier for users to share and view 360-degree panorama images by launching a new site called " Views . " The new site makes it possible for users to upload their "photo sphere" images from their Google+ accounts and from their Android devices onto Google Maps. Photo spheres are 360-degree panoramas similar to the images users see when they go on Google Street View. Some Android users can shoot and create their own photo spheres using their camera app. PHOTOS: Google Street View from 22,000 feet To use Views, sign in using your Google+ profile, then click on a blue camera icon to import photo spheres already uploaded to your Google+ accounts.

It was a full day of tech news Wednesday, with a federal judge ruling that Apple conspired to raise the price of e-books and T-Mobile introducing a new plan that makes it possible for customers to change their smartphones more often. Federal judge rules Apple led conspiracy to raise e-book prices A federal judge has ruled against Apple in its antitrust e-books case. The judge found that Apple conspired with five major publishers to raise the prices of e-books in an attempt to weaken rival Amazon.com Inc. Apple says it plans to appeal the decision.

Google Chromebook laptops may be finally catching on and there are a few good reasons. The computers, which run Google's Chrome OS software, accounted for 20% to 25% of all laptops sold for less than $300 in the U.S. in the last eight months, according to NPD Group, a market research firm. A year ago, Chromebook's market share was insignificant, according to NPD Group. But that started to change late last year when a new wave of the Google computers started coming out along with a new marketing campaign . PHOTOS: Rare and vintage auctioned Apple items A Samsung-made Chromebook is currently the top-selling laptop on Amazon.com . Why are people buying Chromebooks?

Google Maps is making it easier to use the app to bypass traffic jams on the fly and to find highly rated places. An update Wednesday for the Android version of Google Maps app adds a new discovery feature and the ability to reroute navigation directions whenever the app finds a quicker route. Google said users can now tap the app's search box to see a feature called "Explore," which they can then tap to expand. The feature will then show recommended places to shop, eat and visit.

This year marks the 100th edition of the Tour de France and Google is commemorating the race with a new browser-based interactive guide. Your Tour , as the browser feature is called, takes users through the various stages of the 2,115-mile bicycling race by combining Street View imagery, Google Maps and more. The guide also includes interesting tidbits about each portion of the race. Different stages of the race unlock as the actual competition unfolds. For example, the Mont-Saint-Michel part of the Tour de France is currently locked until Wednesday, when the bicyclists are expected to race through there.

SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. snatched a popular mobile mapping service from the outstretched hands of its Internet superpower rivals, securing its dominance in real-time navigation information. Tuesday's $1-billion deal for Waze and the weeks of fevered speculation leading up to its acquisition signal the growing importance of digital maps, apps that are shaping up to be among the most important ones people use on smartphones and tablets. Waze, which helps drivers find the fastest and easiest routes, was being wooed by Facebook Inc. and Apple Inc., among others.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google, which has already outpaced all other competitors in online maps, has sealed a $1-billion-plus deal for Waze, an Israeli social mapping company that is popular with drivers who use it on mobile devices to avoid traffic congestion. Waze had been in discussions with Facebook with which it already had a partnership and had drawn attention from other technology giants. Instead Google could extend its lead in maps while improving their reliability and usefulness.

Google has reportedly struck a deal to purchase Waze, a popular mobile mapping app, for $1.1 billion. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported that the Silicon Valley giant could officially announce the deal as early as Monday. The move would improve Google's mapping software by adding to it the social components that are used in Waze, a start-up based in Israel. In the app, users notify their peers of accidents, traffic jams or other obstructions that may delay their commutes.

Facebook and Waze have reportedly ended talks on a possible $1-billion acquisition of the mapping start-up by the social-networking giant. Negotiations on a deal dissolved after the companies couldn't agree on whether the Waze team, which is based in Israel, would move to Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., AllThingsD reported. Waze relies in part on its users to gather real-time data on driving conditions. When users report car accidents, construction work or heavy traffic, Waze uses that information to reroute drivers around such obstacles.